Holland, from Gloucester, sprinted to the finish line, beating her fellow athlete and housemate Non Stanford.

The pair hugged and said they had mixed emotions, having hoped they could both finish in the top three.

Vicky Holland and Non Stanford (Martin Rickett/PA)

Holland told the BBC: "I can't describe it right now. I've had a really roller coaster 24 hours. I've been a bit sick and I just did not know how I was going to be feeling today. I was really nervous because I thought maybe I will just be a bit flat and empty.

"I really just got into it, especially on the run, and I just knew it was going to come down to me or Non - which is the worst possible scenario because the whole thing is I wanted it to be about us together. We've done this whole process together, we train together, we live together, but it's not an excuse not to sprint for the bronze medal."

Recalling her first words to Stanford after they finished, she added: "I think the first thing I said was, 'I'm so sorry', and then of course she was absolutely brilliant about it and congratulated me and I just said, 'I wished it could've been us two together'."

Tom Daley (Wong Maye-E/AP/PA)

Daley, who claimed a bronze medal in the men's synchronised event alongside dive partner Dan Goodfellow earlier in the Games, had hoped to better his London success in the individual round.